Feeding unit



April 27, 1965 wAHL 3,180,523

FEEDING UNIT Filed Jan. 31, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I A g;

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United States Fatent O i f 3,180,523 FEEDING UNKT Frank Wahl, North Bergen, Ni, assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 31, 1962, Ser. No. 170,918 4 Claims. (Cl. 221293) This invention relates in general to a feeding unit and particularly to an automatic feeding unit for feeding parts in an assembly apparatus.

The fabrication of relays on a mass production basis poses several production problems. One of these problerns, in certain types of relays, is the assembly of the armature and hinge spring. Previously the hinge spring and the armature were assembled by means of a riveting device requiring manual feed and operation. In a related application, Frank Wahl, Serial No. 111,356, filed May 19, 1961, now Patent No. 3,122,035, it is proposed to automatically rivet the armature and hinge spring, thereby producing a satisfactory assembly at lower cost on a volume basis. The subject of the present invention can be used in conjunction with the aforesaid riveting device in a turret-type assembly machine to realize further economies by automatically feeding armatures to a riveting position at high production rates.

The object of this invention is to provide a feeding unit adapted for automatically feeding parts in the assembly of articles, such as relay armatures.

In accordance with the general features of this invention, a feeding unit is provided with a holder for a stack of parts which are held in position for processing. A lever under the urging of resilient means cooperates with the holder to hold the parts in the stack by pressing against the lowermost part. parts has a cam portion on which a roller connected to the lever rides to actuate the lever during a feed stroke, freeing the lowermost part from the stack onto the element and dropping it onto a surface for further operations during the return stroke. As the feeding element is retracted, the lever is free to clamp and hold the next lowermost part in the stack. This invention can be used to feed a turret type machine for automatic armature forming and hinge spring assembly during relay manufacturc. While the invention is described for use with such parts, it is entirely conceivable that a multitude of other applications may be envisioned from the present disclosure.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the invention in its preferred embodiment with portions broken away showing a stack of armatures to be fed for processing by the novel means disclosed herein, and

FIG. 2 is a side view of the invention with portions broken away.

With reference to the drawings, the invention is incorporated in a feeding unit, generally referred to as 11 which is disposed adjacent to and cooperates with a vertical solid post or holder 12 mounted on a table 13. The holder 12 is loaded with a stack of relay armatures 14 for individual feed into a nest 16 of a rotatable turret type assembly machine. Each armature 14 includes a body portion and a pair of spaced parallel planar legs.

The feeding unit 11 includes a housing 17 in which an element or a lever 18 is pivotally mounted on a pin 19 secured therein. One end of a compression spring 21 for applying a desired tension to the lever 18 contacts the lever 18 and the other end is engaged by a screw 22 suitably mounted in housing 17. One end of the lever A feeding element for the 3,13%,523 Patented Apr. 27, 19fi5 18 is provided with a detent or an angularly projecting portion 23 which retains the lowermost armature 14 on the holder 12 during the feed of a previously released armature designated as 26 to nest 16. A roller 27 is connected between the legs 25 of the bifurcated end 2%! of the lever 18 by a pin and serves to rock the lever 18 about pin 19 during a feed cycle.

An elongated feeder 28 is movable within channels 29 of the table 13, the feeder 28 extending along the table and beneath the lever 13 and holder 12. Feeder 28 is provided with a slot 42 having at its base a cam surface 31 which includes a high region near the rear portion 32 of the feeder 2S, tapers downwardly at 33 and extends linearly at a low level therefrom. The feeder 28 is reciprocatably operated through successive cycles by an air cylinder 39 connected to the feeder by linkage 34, the low level of the cam surface being positioned beneath roller or cam follower 27 at the start of a cycle. The air cylinder 39 is operated by a suitable driving mechanism (not shown) situated on the turret type assembly machine. An arm 36 with a tapered surface 37 extending through a slot 411 is mounted at 38 to engage the armatures 14- on the holder 12.

In operation, the feeder 28 has a forward stroke (which is from left to right as viewed in FIG. 2) and a backward stroke (which is from right to left also as viewed in FIG. 2) under the control of the air cylinder 39.

During the forward stroke, the feeder 28 moves rightwardly, as viewed in FIG. 2, and its forward edge 4-3 contacts an edge of an armature 26 (previously released and resting on the surface of the platform 44), and then pushes rightwardly such armature 26 to slide this armature 26 to the nest 15. As the feeder 28 initially moves rightwardly, the low level 46 of the cam surface 31 travels beneath the cam follower or roller 27, thereby maintaining the detent or projecting portion 23 against an edge of the lowermost armature 14 and preventing the dropping of the stack of armatures 14. As the feeder continues to move rightwardly, first the tapered portion 33 of the cam surface 31 and then the high region 32 of this cam surface 31 eventually pass beneath the roller 27 to pivot the lever 18 and the projecting portion 23 in a clockwise direction about the pin 19.

The pivoting of the projecting portion 23 releases its hold on the lowermost armature 14 which then drops onto the top surface 47 of the feeder 28. At this time the entire stack of armatures 14 is supported on this top surface 47 of the feeder 28. Moreover, at this stage of operation, the forward stroke of the feeder 28 is completed.

On the backward stroke, the feeder 28 moves leftwardly and an edge of the just released armature 14 initially engages the lower inclined edge 48 of the projecting portion 23, while the top surface 47 of the feeder 28 slides beneath the bottom surface of the just released armature 1 1.

As the feeder 23 continues to move leftwardly, the high region 32 of the cam surface 31 passes from beneath the roller 27, permitting the spring 21 to pivot the lever 18 and the projecting portion 23 in a counterclockwise direction about the pin 19.

' Pivoting of the projecting portion 23 engages it with an edge of the lowermost armature 14 in the stack to support such stack.

As the feeder 28 continues to further move leftwardly, eventually the surface 47 of the feeder 2S slides from beneath the just released armature 14, while the edge of the just released armature 14 continues to engage the lower inclined edge 48 of the projecting portion 23; this drops such armature 14 on the surface 415 of the platform 44.

On the next forward stroke of the feeder 28, the just released armature 14 is fed to the nest 16. i

As is apparent from FIGS. 1 and t2, the surface of the holderltZ is tapered at 41 to assist the projecting'portion '23 in holding the lowermost armature 14 ,by slightly staggering the lowermost armature 14. Also, the taper at r 41 wedges the lowermost armature 14 against the projecting portion 23 of the lever 18 to increase the holding action of such lowermost armature 14.

This feeding unit 11 is designed to be utilized in conjunction with .a turret type machine for automatic armature forming and hinge spring assembly but it may also be adapted for manual operation rather than the'auto matic operation exemplified in the preferred embodiment.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous .other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilledin the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof. I

* What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for feedinga stack of parts comprismg: I

a vertically extending holder for supporting the stack of parts; a platform spaced from the lower end of the holder; a feed slide reciprocable over the upper surface of the latform and including a slot extending therealong, the base of the slot comprising a lower cam surface and a portion of the upper surface of the slide adjacent an end of the slot comprising an upper cam surface; t a pivotally mounaed element having a portion for normally retaining the parts on the holder and a bifurcated portion; r V a roller mounted in the bifurcated portion of the element and adapted to ride within the slot and on the upper and lower cam surfaces; I

spring means connected to the pivotally mountedelement to urge the roller into selective engagement with the upper and lower cam surfaces and to urge the retaining portion of the pivotally mounted element against the lowermost part of the holder to retain the stack of parts; and

means connected to the feed slide for reciprocating the feed slide:

in a forward direction to move'the upper cam surface beneath the roller to pivot the retaining portion of the pivotally mounted element in a clockwise direction to drop the stack of parts onto the upper surface of the feed slide, and p in a backward direction to move the lower cam surface beneath the roller to pivot the retaining portion of the pivotally mounted element in 'a counterclockwise a a tapered surface at'the lower end of the holder to partially resist the sliding of the armatures along the holder.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein:

a the holder comprises a solid member.

4. An apparatus for feeding parts to' a nest, each part having a body 'portion'and a pair'of spaced parallel planar legsextending from the body portion, comprising;

a post positioned'within the space formed by the legs of a vertically coincident stack of the parts,

a pivotal detent mounted for engagement with the body portion of the lowermost part,

said detent having a lower inclined edge,

a platform spaced below the lower end of the post for receiving the lowermost part, a feeding slide reciprocable between the lowermost part and the upper surface of the platform and said slide tion of the lowermost part and having a forward edge engageable with the lowermost part and including a cam surface extending in the direction of reciprocation of said slide, said cam surface having a first and a second reigon, a cam follower connected to the detent, means for urging the cam follower into engagement with'the cam surface of the feedingslide and for pivoting the detent into engagement with the body portion of the lowermost part ,to force said body portion against the post to support the stack of parts, means connected to the feeding slide for reciprocating the slide: 7 a in a forward direction to move the first region of the surface in engagement with the cam follower to pivot the detent in one direction to release the stack a of parts onto the upper surface of the feeding slide, in a backward direction to move the second region of the cam surface in engagement with the cam follower first to pivot the detent in a reverse direction to force the body portion of the next to the lowermost part f against the post to support the stack of parts and then to move the lowermost part against the lower inclined edge of the detent and to withdraw the feeding slide from beneath the lowermost part to drop said part onto the platform, and again in the forward direction to engage the forward edge of the feeding slide with the part on the platform to feed said part to the nest.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RAPHAEL LUPO, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH N. LEIMER, Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR FEEDING A STACK OF PARTS COMPRISING: A VERTICALLY EXTENDING HOLDER FOR SUPPORTING THE STACK OF PARTS; A PLATFORM SPACED FROM THE LOWER END OF THE HOLDER; A FEED SLIDE RECIPROCABLE OVER THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE PLATFORM AND INCLUDING A SLOT EXTENDING THEREALONG, THE BASE OF THE SLOT COMPRISING A LOWER CAM SURFACE AND A PORTION OF THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE SLIDE ADJACENT AN END OF THE SLOT COMPRISING AN UPPER CAM SURFACE; A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ELEMENT HAVING A PORTION FOR NORMALLY RETAINING THE PARTS ON THE HOLDER AND A BIFURCATED PORTION; A ROLLER MOUNTED IN THE BIFURCATED PORTION OF THE ELEMENT AND ADAPTED TO RIDE WITHIN THE SLOT AND ON THE UPPER AND LOWER CAM SURFACES; SPRING MEANS CONNECTED TO THE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ELEMENT TO URGE THE ROLLER INTO SELECTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UPPER AND LOWER CAM SURFACES AND TO URGE THE RETAINING PORTION OF THE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ELEMENT AGAINST LOWERMOST PART OF THE HOLDER TO RETAIN THE STACK OF PARTS; AND MEANS CONNECTED TO THE FEED SLIDE FOR RECIPROCATING THE FEED SLIDE: IN A FORWARD DIRECTION TO MOVE THE UPPER CAM SURFACE BENEATH THE ROLLER TO PIVOT THE RETAINING PORTION OF THE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ELEMENT IN A CLOCKWISE DIRECTION TO DROP THE STACK OF PARTS ONTO THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE FEED SLIDE, AND IN A BACKWARD DIRECTION TO MOVE THE LOWER CAM SURFACE BENEATH THE ROLLER TO PIVOT THE RETAINING PORTION OF THE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ELEMENT IN A COUNTERCLOCKWISE DIRECTION TO FIRST RETAIN THE NEXT TO THE LOWERMOST PART AND THEN TO MOVE THE FEED SLIDE FORM BENEATH THE LOWERMOST PART TO DROP SUCH LOWERMOST PART ONTO THE PLATFORM. 